Support
by Hastseoltoi
Summary: Stand Alone from my series of shorts; slash with canon couple; S5 finale, after the meeting Aaron and Eric go home and start addressing the events of the day/evening.


He was numb. It wasn't just that it had been an incredibly long and terrifying day, with near death situations every few minutes for part of the afternoon. It wasn't just that they had arrived back in the ASZ to witness Rick shoot Pete on Deanna's order, with her husband dead in her arms. It wasn't just the walker that was laying at Rick's feet, in the middle of the chairs grouped for the meeting. It wasn't just that he had looked to the group of people surrounding the scene to find that Eric was there, and that he had been splattered with blood from one of the deaths which had just occurred.

It had been all of that, and he could see that there were too many stories to tell for it to be finished this night. The fear on so many of those faces, the desperation on Deanna's face, and the blood that was spread across Rick's face. It all hit in an instant and the story he had told Daryl earlier about banishment almost seemed prophetic, but then that moment passed and it felt like something very fundamental had changed for their community.

When their newest friend, Morgan, turned to Rick, and Daryl had crossed to Carol and the others in his group, Aaron had tuned them all out and turned to find Eric at his side, reaching out to pull him into a tight embrace. They clutched at each other for several minutes, not saying anything as the other people seemed to sort themselves out around them. He wasn't surprised when Carol and Daryl took charge, asking people to go home and promising discussion or decisions the following day.

That was all he needed to hear before leading Eric away from the meeting, toward home, "Did you bring the cart?"

Eric nodded distractedly, "I did, but they might need it to move the . . . bodies. I can get by without it tonight. It isn't too far." He accepted a little more support and barely hobbled as they crossed the street, walked up the block and entered their house.

They were both quiet now; the house mostly dark and still, the neighbors silent and the night suddenly oppressive with all of the unanswered questions. Aaron dropped his remaining pack near the front door, and let his jacket fall to the floor. He didn't notice that his hands were shaking until he was removing the weapons from his belt, and he set those aside too, though they were still in easy reach for defending the doorway.

The uncharacteristic disorder caught Eric's attention immediately and he stared at the pack, the jacket and the weapons for a few seconds before picking the first two things up off the floor and bringing them to the closet. "What happened to the other pack?"

"Lost it. Things went badly today, very badly. Morgan, the man that returned with us, saved us from a trap." He stopped himself from going into detail, knowing it would only bring worry. "It was close, but he saved us, and then it turned out that he knew Rick so he came back with us."

"You'll tell me about it tomorrow. If there is going to be a discussion about what happened at the meeting, you know it will come up when Morgan is brought into it. I worry, but I need to know. Imagining is worse." Eric's jacket was already hung neatly in the closet, and Aaron allowed himself to be pulled further into the house, into the bright kitchen.

He didn't want to let go of Eric's hand, but the light let him see the blood splatter more clearly, "You were close to the action at the meeting, weren't you? There's blood." He brushed his fingers across Eric's cheek, and then turned to the sink to let the water warm as he searched for a clean cloth.

When he found one and readied it, Eric was touching his own cheek, "I hadn't noticed. Everything was rather sudden." He turned his face slightly, allowing Aaron to gently wipe the blood away. "Do you need- was the close call messy?"

Aaron's mouth quirked into a smile, "I could probably use a shower, and maybe dinner. We didn't have time for a meal on the way back. I wouldn't mind something else first though." He stepped closer, letting the cloth fall onto the counter, and leaned in for a kiss. Eric's hands came up to fist in the fabric of his shirt, and Aaron closed his eyes as the kiss deepened. He moved his hands under Eric's shirt, sliding up the smooth skin of his back, and their chill caused a shiver.

Eric broke away first, licking his lower lip before asking, "Will you need to go out again, with Daryl?"

"I don't think so, not for a while." Aaron shook his head, "I'm not sure if there is any point to going out again. Even after Morgan saved us, I'm having trouble believing that there are any good people left out there. Someone set that trap, and they are killing people; killing innocent strangers. Whatever is decided tomorrow, that will play a part in our future plans for the community."

He shook his head again, trying to leave those thoughts behind, and started unbuttoning his shirt, "So, shower first. I should go do that."

"You don't have to do that alone, if you don't want to." Eric was still pale, but he had a playful smile, "I could help wash your back."

"That sounds like a very good idea. I think I will accept that offer." A few more hours of avoiding the events of the day, and evening, and he might feel human again, or at the very least feel less shaky. It hadn't just been the fear of death, or the manner in which it would have come. It hadn't just been his fear that Rick's group might end up destroying his home. It hadn't just been his terror at the thought that someone may have hurt Eric while he was too far away to stop it. All of those things and more had made him numb to the things he had witnessed, but love was what always saved him.


End file.
